Samsung wants to block iPhone 4S sales in France, Italy
There's nothing like major corporations acting like a bunch of kids on a playground. As you remember, Samsung and Apple have been locked in a patent infringement lawsuit for quite some time. Apple is trying (quite successfully, I may add) to block the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10 tablet in several countries, so now Samsung is playing tit-for-tat and wants to block sales of the brand new iPhone 4S in France and Italy.
Samsung said in a statement that they'll file a pair of preliminary injunction requests in Paris and Milan, stating that the iPhone 4S infringes on two patents related to WCDMA standards for 3G-enabled devices. The South Korean manufacturer plans to make a major assault on the 4S, stating that it will pursue injunctions in other countries as well. Samsung wasted no time in sending out marketing materials panning the 4S while touting the Galaxy S II Android phone.
The statement from Samsung states "Apple has continued to flagrantly violate our intellectual property rights and free ride on our technology. We believe it is now necessary to take legal action to protect our innovation."
Apple has already successfully blocked (for now) the Galaxy tablets in Germany, as well as some Samsung smartphone models in the Netherlands. Samsung says that Apple hasn't paid licensing fees for some of its patents relating to wireless technology, while Apple says that Samsung never demanded a license fee until last year, being mum before that time because Apple is a huge Samsung customer.
In addition to the iPhone 4S, Samsung is claiming that the iPhone 3G, 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPad 2 all infringe on its wireless-technology patents. Stay tuned to TUAW as we keep track of the latest shots fired in what is becoming a full-fledged war between the two companies.
